Hard disc drive assemblies are manufactured in a clean room environment to reduce contamination to the sensitive electronic portion of the assembly. Subsequent to manufacture, it is often necessary to access the sealed portion of the assembly without opening the assembly and introducing contamination into the assembly. The current state-of-the-art is to provide a window in the assembly with electrical connectors to the components of the sealed portion. This may be by a pad or other means for electrical contact being formed at an interface with the window.
Various means for effecting connections between two electrical surfaces are known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,593 to Grabbe et al disclose a connector for a substrate having a housing frame with a plurality of contact members held in position with a threaded bolt. U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,509 to Cross et al disclose an electrical connector having a connector body with a plurality of male pin terminals and a mating plug in electrical connector. The connector has a terminal cavity extending axially through the connector body. U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,869 to Maue discloses a portable electrical connector assembly including a plurality of mating terminals accommodated in mated housings. Openings are provided in the housing to allow insertion of a probe to make electrical measurements. A reusable seal is positioned around the housing to cover the openings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,194 to Grabbe discloses a high density connector assembly for an IC chip carrier which includes a stack of spacer plates holding planar contact members and upper and lower reference plates. The assembly is held together by a plurality of threaded screws. U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,826 to Grabbe discloses a connector assembly for interconnecting a relatively large integrated circuit chip carrier with a printed circuit board. The connector assembly includes a holder composed of a stack of several thin plates having perforations arranged on desired grid patterns. U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,886 to Werner discloses an electrical connector having a plurality of contacts arranged in a side-by-side relationship and held between a base and a cover plate. The base is solvent bonded to the cover plate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,627 to Buck et al disclose an electrical connector for electrically connecting circuit boards which comprises two housings engaged by interlocked tongue and grooves on the respective housings.
One method for electrical connection which has been used is to form a pin on the contact and to form a plastic or insulated collar about the pin for connection to a plug in which the pin is received. However, the pin/collar connector requires the use of a plastic or potting material which outgasses volatile substances and which contaminates highly sensitive electronic components. None of the above-referenced connectors are directed to systems which have been assembled in clean rooms and in which the maintenance of an environmentally sealed portion is a factor.
There remains a need for an environmentally sealed connector which can interface with the electrical contacts of an environmentally sealed portion of a unit and can permit electrical access thereto while preserving the environmental protection.